New mastectomy swimsuits for summer here now!

 I have just posted a video to youtube on our new mastectomy swimsuits for summer. Come in and view them for yourself. Limited stock available due to supply issues from Europe. So don't miss out.

Looking forward to seeing you in the boutique.

Debra

On the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month; the guns fell silent.

It’s been a busy year, and my blog has fallen by the wayside with few postings in 2022.

But on this Remembrance Day 2022, I want to share a story...

In 1914, a 16-year-old walked into a recruiting office in London, England, eager to join the army. The smiling recruiting officer asked, "How old are you, lad?" The boy replied, "I am sixteen, sir!" The officer said, "Come back when you are eighteen, son." The boy walked around the quadrangle, returned to the officer, and said, "I am eighteen now, sir." The officer handed him a form, saying, "Fill this in, sign here, and here is your shilling."

That young man was Ronald Bell Taylor, my future father-in-law. At sixteen, he went to World War I and returned in 1919 as a twenty-one-year-old man. His younger sister recounted to me, some thirty years ago, how the entire family—he was one of ten children—rushed to the railway station to welcome home a "man of the world." Ron always told his son, Mark, that "war changes men." Sadly, Ron passed away before I met Mark, so I never had the honor of meeting him. He spent much of his life ensuring that others who did not fare as well were taken care of. "Service before self" was his motto.

At the Spirit of Life, we are honored to care for veterans, their wives, and widows every day. Breast cancer does not discriminate, affecting even those who serve.

On this Remembrance Day, Mark and I remember the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform, past and present, to ensure we all sleep safely at night.

Lest we forget.

A 16 year old Ron Taylor in WW1

Lovely to have visitors in the Boutique today.

 Today we had the pleasure of welcoming some folks from Amoena. Kevin from Amoena USA, Renee, Sophie and Roxane from Amoena Australia and also Oliver from Amoena in Germany. Great folks and good to have time out with the to discuss new products etc. 

There is no doubt that Amoena are at the top of the game with their quality products and we are proud to represent them in the store.

We've had a freshen up!

 Coming up for our newsletter and specials in April. Running for approx 6 weeks this time as we find so many people want to come in. 

Also we have had a freshen up with new carpet in the boutique. Helen and I look forward to seeing you soon. And keep an eye out for your "Boutique news" in your letterbox any day now.

Welcome to 2022, a year of milestones for us.

Happy New Year and may it be a softer and kinder year to you. The Dutch word for soft and mild can be the same. (Zacht) My dear friend Jeanine from Holland used to refer to mild days in Australia as soft days when she was here many years ago. So perhaps here's hoping for a soft year for us all.

2022, who would have thought it would be with us so soon and that COVID-19 would still be an issue for us all? 

But for me, 2022 marks a few milestones along the way.

20 years since I became manager of the Spirit of Life Boutique.

18 years since I bought the boutique from its multinational Danish owners. 

(And 58,000 Amoena items sold later)

10 years since we moved to Clayfield and a much nicer, "cosier" shop.

4 years since Helen has joined us. She is delightful and is a breast cancer survivor herself.

Our Helen with a gift from a customer.

And all along this journey it has been our absolute pleasure to serve you all when you visit. We do appreciate your support and the fact that you refer your friends to us too. We always try to offer the widest range of mastectomy lingerie and swimwear to help you feel good about yourself. The range available was so bland and basic when I came here 20 years ago. White, off white, beige, bone and ivory seemed to be the choice. From my previous decades as a lingerie fitter I knew this was just not good enough and so we set about changing all of that. And that is because we firmly believe that "There is life and lingerie after breast surgery."

Our sales figures reflect your continuing and growing support and it is appreciated by us. We know you have a choice where you spend your money, so we thank each and every one of you for choosing Spirit of Life to shop with. And we also appreciate the cards, letters and emails from you all telling us that you are more than pleased with our service. They put a smile on our faces and give us lift :-)

Chloe and Debra in the studio

Best wishes.